'Make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.'
[Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild] #into#thewild#travelingpumpkin#thoughts#quote#oftheday#inspirationalquotes

Source: The Telegraph
Context: For the first time in 17 years, boys have achieved more As and A*s than girls (by about 0.5% ). This may be due to the changes in A Levels which requires exams to be taken at the end of 2 years instead of throughout the 2 year course. Apparently, this method of examination benefits boys because they're better at cramming And have greater short term memory. Girls on the other hand apply themselves more when things are done by modules.
Opinion: Honestly, there is no perfect system. I don't know if there's a proper study which proves boys are better at this style of A Level testing and girls were better at the old way- maybe the 17 year lead in top grades is the proof- but I just think some people, regardless of gender, are better at exams than others. I personally dislike exams because I don't think with a limited time you can really showcases how much you've learnt about your subjects since it's much more of a memory game, or it is dependent on how quickly you can organise your thoughts into coherent arguments and then actually write them down. Plus, if you have bad handwriting and the examiner can't read it, you might not get as many marks as you could have had your writing been legible. There are pros and cons to everything. The system will probably change again in ten years.
#alevel#results#boys#girls#teens#into#adults#university#aslevel#Michaelgove#new#education#system#fff#spamforspam#lfl#resultsday

Major Newspapers Notice Bitcoin Growth and Advocate Buying
Bitcoin is gaining ground not only with enthusiasts and pundits, but has been increasingly gaining interest from mainstream media including Wall Street Journal.
With its rising popularity, Bitcoin is now being seen as an alternative investment to stocks and bonds. The recent article by a major Dutch newspaper seemingly recommends the idea of buying #Bitcoin Mixed reactions
Reddit user DDelphinus hails the article as positive news for Bitcoin which portrays the digital #currency as a groundbreaking technology. The article points out that Bitcoin is no longer just for techies, but is slowly moving #into the mainstream.
Reddit user EnaiSiaion says:
"Bitcoin is a tool for freeing humanity from oligarchs and tyrants You don't want a world where bitcoin is the main currency. Governments may be bad, but anarcho-capitalism is many times worse. It is, however the direction in which the world is moving, so I'm hedging against a manufactured fiat crisis.” #Giving ordinary people power
The same message was also published on NRC’s website, saying Bitcoin investors are no longer merely comprised of anarchist adventurers. The article also states that Bitcoin’s #record#breaking#performance has contributed to its rising popularity. “Those who look [more closely] #also#see a groundbreaking new technology taken by banks, lawyers, multinationals, notaries and governments very seriously”. Although the total number of Bitcoin users may not be as high as other investment vehicles at this stage, Bitcoin is slowly becoming another option for those who want to secure profits from their #investments